Implementation of mmWave long-range backhaul for UAV-BS

Abstract

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a vital element in nonterrestrial networks, especially with respect to 5G communication systems and beyond. The use of UAVs in support of 4G/5G base station (uncrewed aerial vehicle base station [UAV-BS]) has proven to be a practical solution for extending cellular network services to areas where conventional infrastructures are unavailable. In this study, we introduce a UAV-BS system that utilizes a high-capacity wireless backhaul operating in millimeter-wave frequency bands. This system can achieve a maximum throughput of 1.3 Gbps while delivering data at a rate of 300 Mbps, even at distances of 10 km. We also present the details of our testbed implementation alongside the performance results obtained from field tests.

Keywords

• flying base station
• long-distance backhaul
• millimeter wave
• mobile backhaul
• uncrewed aerial vehicle